Shortly after that scumbag threw a baby out of his car while driving down the interstate, the Tampa Tribune tells us that we gotta keep an eye on those boyfriends: Babies, boyfriends and bad tempers: A deadly mix
Citing a report by the Florida Child Abuse Death Review Committee, the article suggests that when it comes to dead kids, we better take a hard look at those unrelated males in the child’s life.
But in the same story, it’s obvious to me that the bigger problem is the parents themselves:
Of the 241 perpetrators [in 163 deaths], 119 were the mother; 54, the father; 19, a grandparent; and 13, a boyfriend.
The boyfriend is responsible for less than 10% of the deaths, yet that is the focus of the article.
In the 2008 report from FCADRC, there were 163 child abuse and neglect deaths reviewed. Of those, 45 (28%) were from abuse and 118 (72%) were neglect (pdf page 31).
Of the 45 where actual physical abuse was confirmed,
Fathers and other male caregivers were responsible for the majority of the physical abuse fatalities.
But what about neglect?
Those 118 of neglect include 41 sleeping deaths, 44 drownings, 11 “vehicle” related, 4 from medical neglect, and 3 more labeled as “inadequate supervision.” The others are “drug related” (11), or gunshot (4).
Again, 241 were identified as responsible in the 163 deaths. 119 were the mother; 54, the father; 19, a grandparent; and 13, a boyfriend.
And to me, a parent leaving her child with an abusive, violent, or barely known boyfriend is also a form of neglect.
Instead of sensationalizing how terrible these boyfriends are (and they are sickening monsters), the focus ought to be on helping these parents understand what it means to be a parent.
Aaron J Bates
1 year ago
Interesting take on the report Tommy. I also think its quite startling that mothers were sited as responsible for 119 out of 241. I think that is a a very striking number compared to father.
Now I am sure there are probably a lot of single mothers in that number, but I have to wonder at what rate these mothers have or did have post partum depression.
Its a subject that is not talked about a lot, and one that I have seen personally. I have seen the dramatic effect that it can have on a womans life and understand that they feel like there is no place for them to go to understand how to deal with it.
Now, I by no means am saying they aren’t at fault because of it. They always have a choice, its that sometimes they can’t see the choice, or know how to make it.
Clyde
1 year ago
Raising a child carries with it the responsibility to pass along some values, a moral structure, in addition to feeding clothing and educating the child. Problem is, if you don’t have any sort of structure yourself, there’s nothing to pass on. Seems to me we are in at least the 2nd or 3rd generation of ignorant, uneducated people which leads us to the things we see in the paper everyday. As Aaron says, they can’t see the choice – in fact, they don’t even know there is a choice. So sad.
junebee
1 year ago
It’s all part of the Femi-nazi agenda.
I wonder how many cases of the 241 are teen parents who themselves were children of teen parents traced to a lineage that goes back several generations. I think that’s the real problem.